After Sexual Assault

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What to do if you have been sexually assaulted

Safety

Get to a safe place as soon as you can. Call 911 if you are in immediate danger.

You can report the incident to the Salt Lake Police Department at 801.799.3000. Reporting to the police doesn’t mean that you have to press charges, although if a minor is involved, the police will file charges with or without your consent. You may be able to obtain a protective order through the criminal process.

You can report the incident or safety concerns to campus patrol at 801.832.2525. Please note that campus patrol are not law enforcement, and the college’s ability to protect you is limited.

Medical

Seek medical care as soon as possible at a local emergency room.

Have a rape-kit exam performed within five days of the assault. This can be done at the hospital or at the Family Justice Center, which can be reached at 1.855.992.2752 (24-hour crisis line). A member of the Rape Recovery Center’s 24-hour Hospital Response Team will accompany you during the exam. You can receive this exam whether or not you choose to involve the police. Costs for this exam will be covered by Crime Victim Reparations.

Don’t shower, bathe, eat, brush your teeth, or wash your hands.

Don’t change your clothing, if possible. If you need to change, put everything you were wearing into a paper bag and take it to your medical exam.

Even if you have no apparent injuries and you know that you will never report, it is important to get medical attention to determine the risks of STDs and pregnancy and receive appropriate prophylaxis medication, if desired.

Evidence

Do your best to preserve all physical evidence, even if you don’t know if you want to report the assault or press charges.

Save electronic evidence such as text messages or emails.

If the assault took place in your room or home, do not rearrange or clean up anything until you have decided whether or not to file a report.

Write down as much as you can remember about the assault, including a description of the assailant.

Support

Get support from someone you trust. Many survivors of sexual assault experience a wide range of emotions following the assault, including shock, anger, self-blame, shame, helplessness, denial, fear, and mood swings, among others. These can occur immediately after an assault or weeks, months, or even years later.

Contact the Rape Recovery Center for confidential support at 801.467.7273 for 24-hour support.

Make an appointment to speak with a therapist confidentially at the Counseling Center on campus by calling 801.832.2465.